Friday, 17 October 2014

Ebola: health tips for private military and private security personnel

Ebola is difficult to catch, but weather you are private military or security personnel in counties or points of higher risk of contagion such as mass transport hubs, medical facilities, or mining outposts, these are some suggestions how not to catch Ebola (based on WHO guidelines):
• Avoid direct contact with people displaying symptoms of a disease such as flu or clearly sick people or patients. In other words, wear protective gloves (dispose them securely and promptly after contact with those people) and wear protective goggles (appropriate size sunglasses might help if not protective goggles available).
• Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly, and promptly if required. Do not rub or touch your eyes!
• if in contact with likely sick or infected people, the clothing you wore should be securely disposed or incinerated.
• Be polite yet firm when directing people to cover their mouth when coughing and not to touch you. It is better to sound a little harsh perhaps than feel sorry for yourself and loved ones if the worst happens.
• People who recover from Ebola or are likely or suspected to be infected should abstain from sex or any form of intimate or friendly contact. If they don’t do it, do it for yourself and avoid such contact.
Do not take chances, as the Ebola outbreak is fast progressing to a pandemic and international travel means that the outbreak will soon go global.


Read more about the Ebola outbreak:

Ebola pandemic: could have done but did not do and now too late


(...) the Ebola Response MPTF offers live updates, so that governments cannot hide anymore behind words and pledges. At the time this post was being written, there was only one actual contribution:  Colombia $100,000. China, the world’s most populous country (1.36 billion people) with the world’s second largest GDP ($9.33 trillion) and with heavy investments in Africa, does not even figure on the donations lists. These figures set the tone: have governments done enough to help prevent a global Ebola pandemic?